About Me

When not nosing, tasting, drinking and reading about malt whisky, I own one of Israel's premiere boutique coaching practices, specializing in small businesses and executive teams.
Trained in the law, I was an international law attorney and took part in Israel's peace negotiations with the Palestinians, as well as representing my country at the UN for parts of the negotiations on the implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Later I was appointed to the military bench.
My favorite thing, other than whisky, is teaching.
You can contact me through the social media buttons above or by email: michael(at)maltandoak.com, replacing the (at) with an @.

Statement of Integrity and Guidelines

Malt and Oak is an independent whisky blog, offering my own views, opinions and news from the world of malt whisky.
These are my guidelines:

1. All whisky reviews published are of whiskies I have personally tasted and noted. Guest bloggers only write about their own personal tastings.

2. With the exception of official whisky samples, I accept no consideration whatsoever from any distillery, bottler, distributor, drink company or store for my opinions.

3. I maintain strict impartiality and objectivity in tasting all whiskies, not least when tasting official samples. Any review of official whisky samples sent to me will be so noted in the post.

4. I will accept invitations to tastings, events and official visits, and full disclosure will be made on any tasting notes and articles resulting from these events or visits.

5. Any sample received over 30 ml in volume is shared with fellow whisky bloggers. In any event, no sample larger than 100 ml will be accepted.

6. No advertisements promoting specific brands will be accepted.

7. I will answer any inquiry by my readers as quickly and as fully as possible.

8. Should I give a link purchase the reviewed whisky, it will be given free of any commercial interest. The link given will always point to cheapest selling price I found on the web. No commission is paid, nor any other consideration given, for such link.

9. As of July 2017, I serve as Douglas Laing’s Israel brand ambassasdor. As such, I will obviously not be posting reviews of Douglas Laing products.

The Strangest (and Coolest?) Balvenie of Them All

One small, lesser know fact is that all Balvenie whisky is peated. Well, at 6 ppm you wouldn’t really call it peated, but the malt does get a few hours of peat smoke exposure. The distillery has two furnaces, and the peat exposure is done at the beginning of the kilning.

That’s not, however, what happened in 2001, when Balvenie distilled a batch of fully peated whisky. Sounds strange? According to sources in the company, Balvenie distills peated whisky for a full week each year. Assuming this began in 2001, and knowing David Stewart’s proclivity for putting out 17 year olds, I’d be on the watch in three years or so for a fully peated Balvenie expression. I will note, however, that this is pure speculation, and I have no concrete information on Balvenie’s plans for that 2% of peated stock slumbering in casks as you read these lines.

David Stewart

When the peated whisky was moved out of those casks, some 17 year old whisky was put into the peated cask. Now this isn’t the first time David Stewart has experimented with using a peated cask for extra maturation, as he already did this in 2003 with the 17 year old IslayCask, but those were Laphroaig casks whereas this is Balvenie through and though. The result, according to Balvenie’s website, was so intensely peated, that it was then married with 17 year old whisky finished in virgin oak to create this expression.

How is it? I think weird is the best word for it. Not bad weird, just weird….

Photo Credit: winestyle.com.ua

Balvenie 17 Year Old Peated Cask (43% ABV)

Appearance: Amber with thin legs and residue on the glass.

Nose: The combination of the very present Balvenie sweetness and orange nose with some notes of vanilla together with the smoke is strange. This isn’t Islay peat, and there are no medicinal or maritime qualities to it, just smoke. Sweetness and smoke. But there’s enough of the smoke to make this expression, well, weird…

Palate: Some peat and smoke at first in this full bodied dram, then the honey and citrus come through with a light vegetal note (first for a Balvenie for me). Further into the tasting a lovely bitter orange peel note shines through, like the sun appearing from behind clouds…

Linger: Spice and smoke take up residence on your tongue, and the smokiness remains for quite a while, but in a very light way.

Conclusion

This expression is a Balvenie, but it’s not a “normal” Balvenie.

Growing up in the 70s, Happy Days was one of my favorite TV shows. So if the 17 year old Doublewood (reviewed here) is the solid Richie Cunningham, this 17 year old dude is Fonzie. Untamed and wild, but with a heart of gold.